Sustainable Subsea Networks

What Sustainable Subsea Networks does

Sustainable Subsea Networks (SSN) is a non-profit research initiative, founded in 2021 and housed under the SubOptic Foundation, that documents and enhances the environmental sustainability of the global subsea telecommunications cable network. It is led by Primary Investigators Nicole Starosielski (UC Berkeley) and Hunter Vaughan (Emerson College) and operates with a distributed team of roughly 13 researchers, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral fellows across universities including UC Berkeley, Emerson College, the University of Cambridge, Sciences Po Paris, NYU, Trent University, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and Telecom Egypt.

SSN's core products are four free, publicly distributed resources: the Remote Work Carbon Emissions Savings Calculator (an industry-first web tool that estimates CO2 savings from replacing in-person meetings with virtual ones), the Subsea Cable Carbon Emissions Calculator (a spreadsheet that estimates lifecycle climate impacts of subsea cable projects from planning to decommissioning using anonymized operational data and peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment inputs), the Report on Best Practices in Subsea Telecommunications Sustainability (January 2024), and the Sustainable Subsea Networks Map (produced in partnership with TeleGeography). Dissemination runs through five working groups (Cable Manufacturing, Marine, Cable Landing Station, Recovery and Recycling Station, and Global Citizen), peer-reviewed publications, a dedicated column in SubTel Forum Magazine, and regular presentations at PTC, SubOptic, Submarine Networks World, Submarine Networks EMEA, and ICPC plenaries.

The initiative does not sell products or services and has no commercial revenue. It is funded by grants from the Internet Society Foundation, currently in its SSN 2.0 phase launched in November 2024. Its stakeholders are industry participants (65+ named companies including Google, Vodafone, Telstra, BT, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Alcatel Submarine Networks, Ciena, NEC, Corning, Aqua Comms, and Telxius), academic researchers, and regulatory bodies, all of which contribute data, expertise, or co-authorship in exchange for access to research outputs rather than paid deliverables.

Name

Sustainable Subsea Networks

Legal name

Sustainable Subsea Networks

Website

https://sustainablesubseanetworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sustainable Subsea Networks is a non-profit research initiative under the SubOptic Foundation that documents and enhances the environmental sustainability of the global subsea telecommunications cable industry, serving telecom operators, cable manufacturers, and regulators with free calculators, maps, and reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Subsea Cable Sustainability Research

akta.pro primary industry

Subsea Network Operations, Monitoring & NOC Services (SLAs/Performance) (HDAIALAF)

Keywords

• Subsea cable sustainability
• Carbon emissions research
• Telecommunications infrastructure
• Environmental impact analysis
• Sustainability research initiative

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Foundation Funding: Sustainable Subsea Networks is an initiative of the SubOptic Foundation, funded by grants from the Internet Society Foundation. The initiative does not appear to generate commercial revenue but operates as an academic research project supported by foundation funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sustainable Subsea Networks is a research initiative that documents and enhances the environmental sustainability of subsea telecommunication networks. It produces industry-first carbon emissions calculators (for remote work transitions and subsea cable projects from planning to decommissioning), a peer-reviewed Best Practices Report, and a sustainability map in partnership with TeleGeography. The initiative coordinates five working groups spanning cable manufacturing, marine operations, cable landing stations, and recovery/recycling, engaging 65+ industry participants including Google, Vodafone, Telstra, Telecom Egypt, BT, Orange, and Alcatel Submarine Networks.

Product overview

Sustainable Subsea Networks is a research initiative (not a traditional product company) focused on enhancing the environmental sustainability of subsea telecommunication networks. The organization offers a suite of sustainability tools and publications including: the Remote Work Carbon Emissions Savings Calculator (for measuring remote work carbon savings), the Subsea Cable Carbon Emissions Calculator (for estimating cable project climate impacts), the Best Practices Report on Subsea Telecommunications Sustainability, and the Sustainable Subsea Networks Map (produced with TeleGeography). These products serve the subsea cable industry by providing data, metrics, and research to guide sustainability efforts. The initiative emerged from SubOptic's Global Citizen Working Group and is funded by the Internet Society Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Remote Work Carbon Emissions Savings Calculator An online calculator tool that enables organizations to measure carbon emission savings from transitioning to remote work. Users input meeting frequency, timeframe, number of participants, and travel information to calculate CO2 savings per project. It is the first calculator in the subsea cable industry to quantify these savings and is based on data from industry partners.
• Subsea Cable Carbon Emissions Calculator A spreadsheet tool providing estimates of climate impacts of subsea cable projects from planning through end-of-life decommissioning. Formulated using anonymized data from existing systems and peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment data for different components. Default calculations contemplate a transatlantic system with 2 Cable Landing Stations.
• Report on Best Practices in Subsea Telecommunications Sustainability An industry report chronicling best practices for sustainability in the subsea cable industry and providing recommendations for a sustainable future. Documents sustainability initiatives across the subsea cable industry. Lead authored by Nicole Starosielski with six co-authors.
• Sustainable Subsea Networks Map A map documenting sustainability initiatives across the subsea cable industry. Designed and produced by TeleGeography in partnership with the SubOptic Foundation's Sustainable Subsea Networks research initiative, funded by the Internet Society Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 99% of transoceanic data traffic carried by subsea cables that the initiative studies and seeks to make more sustainable
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• R&G Telecomm GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022R&G Telecomm Group joined the global initiative in March 2022 to pioneer a journey towards net-zero emissions, focusing specifically on data center sector and subsea telecom services in Latin America.
• WFN StrategiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022WFN Strategies, a submarine cable planning, engineering, and implementation firm with sustainability expertise, announced partnership with the Sustainable Subsea Networks Initiative of the SubOptic Foundation in February 2022. Provides expertise in subsea cable sustainability practices.
• Submarine Telecoms Forum Inc. (SubTel Forum)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022SubTel Forum and the SubOptic Foundation announced the creation of the Sustainable Subsea Column in SubTel Forum's Bi-Monthly Magazine in January 2022. Provides ongoing publication channel for team research and industry perspectives.
• SubOptic FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubOptic Foundation is the founding organization behind Sustainable Subsea Networks. SSN is an initiative of the SubOptic Foundation. The foundation provides institutional support, coordinates the Global Citizen Working Group, and hosts conference presentations. Team members regularly present at SubOptic conferences and the foundation's congress on sustainability made subsea history as the first intentional gathering to discuss sustainability metrics.
• TeleGeographycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeleGeography partnered with the SubOptic Foundation's Sustainable Subsea Networks initiative to design and produce the Sustainable Subsea Networks Map, which documents sustainability initiatives across the subsea cable industry. TeleGeography provides the map infrastructure and expertise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI): GeSI is an industry-led initiative focused on sustainability and digital transformation across the ICT sector. Like SSN, GeSI convenes stakeholders to develop sustainability metrics and best practices, making it a directly comparable peer in ICT-sustainability research and policy advocacy.
• WFN Strategies: WFN Strategies is a submarine cable planning, engineering, and implementation consultancy with sustainability expertise and an announced SSN partnership. Both organizations advise the subsea cable industry and have overlapping sustainability and best-practices mandates, making WFN Strategies a direct industry-services peer.
• Submarine Telecoms Forum (SubTel Forum): SubTel Forum is the leading media organization covering the subsea telecom industry and hosts SSN's Sustainable Subsea column in its bi-monthly magazine. Both organizations serve the subsea cable community with information dissemination and industry collaboration, making SubTel Forum a close content/engagement peer.
• TeleGeography: TeleGeography is the leading provider of subsea cable infrastructure data and maps, and is SSN's primary research partner for the Sustainable Subsea Networks Map. Both organizations focus on documenting and disseminating subsea cable industry data, making TeleGeography the closest functional peer in data/mapping for the subsea cable industry.
• International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC): ICPC is the international body focused on submarine cable protection, governance, and industry best practices. SSN regularly presents at ICPC plenaries, and both organizations serve as neutral, cross-industry forums addressing cross-cutting issues facing subsea cable owners.
• The Green Grid: The Green Grid is a global consortium focused on data center and ICT resource efficiency, including carbon and power usage effectiveness (PUE) metrics. SSN's research applies PUE to cable landing stations, putting it adjacent to The Green Grid's resource-efficiency and sustainability-metrics mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Internet Society Foundation: The Internet Society Foundation is SSN's primary funder and a global nonprofit focused on an open, secure, and globally accessible internet. Both organizations operate as non-profit, grant-funded initiatives serving internet infrastructure research and education, making them structurally comparable even though ISOC has a much broader mandate.
• SubOptic Foundation: SubOptic Foundation is the parent organization of SSN and the broader professional body for the submarine fiber community. While SSN focuses narrowly on sustainability, SubOptic Foundation convenes the wider industry through conferences and working groups, serving as SSN's institutional platform and a closely comparable industry-body peer.
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU): ITU is the UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies, setting standards and policy frameworks. SSN's policy and regulatory research aligns with ITU's mission in sustainable ICT infrastructure, making ITU a comparable institutional peer in telecom sustainability standards.

Emerging players

• Carbon Trust: Carbon Trust is a global climate consultancy helping organizations measure and reduce carbon footprints. While its scope is much broader than SSN's, Carbon Trust is a comparable peer in carbon-footprint methodology development and subsea-cable-relevant sustainability advisory work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-subsea-networks

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Subsea Networks